Fairytale
by Mirime Kisarrastine
Summary: She was Konoha's very own princess, the last heiress of the Senju clan. But with her prince dead and her kingdom burning around her, her life was no fairytale. Series of drabbles, Orochimaru/Tsunade or OroTsu with some Dan/Tsunade
1. Chapter 1

A short series of drabbles that is as canon compliant as I could make it. I have my own timeline for Naruto, though which took ages to work out so it all fits. Also a warning, there's rather a lot of angst.

Also, I do not own a single thing, just my warped fantasies.

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__Once upon a time...._

**12**

Tsunade lands hard on the ground, caught off guard by the attack. She's twelve and preparing for Jounin exams but she's fighting against Orochimaru and he's just so damn fast...

A hand is offered and she takes it, glancing at the pale boy who has just beaten her.

"That was a good move," she admits grudgingly and he simply nods in acknowledgment.

"We'll try it again and this time put up more of a fight, hime."

She looks at him questioningly. This isn't the first time he spouted that nickname for her and she itches to know what he means by that.

"Why do you call me that?" she asks and he smirks almost evilly. She has asked that question time and again without getting any answer from him. But today he seems to be in a good mood as he teases her.

"Evade my next attack and I might tell you."

She huffs in annoyance but obligingly slips into the fighting stance. She won't waste this chance and so she prepares herself for what she knows is coming. She doesn't evade it totally when it comes but it's just a glancing blow that merely shakes her balance a bit and Orochimaru nods approvingly. Tsunade looks over to where Sarutobi-sensei trains with Jiraiya and seeing them coming over, she looks at Orochimaru expectantly.

"Well?" she asks, propping her hands on her hips.

"You didn't evade it, Tsunade-hime," he replies to wind her up a bit more but then relents. "But I'll tell you anyway. I call you hime because you are one."

He falls silent and Tsunade waits. When it becomes clear it's all the explanation she's going to get she tries to punch him in the arm.

"That's all? It doesn't make sense."

"And you are supposed to be smart," Orochimaru sighs mockingly and twists out of her reach. "Think about it. You are the only daughter in the Senju direct line. In Konoha, it's as good as royalty."

Tsunade falls silent. Looking at it like that does make sense.

"If I'm the princess, what are the three of you?" she gestures at her team. Orochimaru looks at their teacher and teammate.

"Sarutobi-sensei is a nobleman. Jiraiya..." he smirks and she knows he's going to insult his friend in a creative way. "Jiraiya is a mongrel and always will be."

Tsunade giggles at that because Jiraiya is arguing with Sarutobi-sensei and his head shakes and his hair fly around like a mane. It's easy to picture him as an overgrown pet.

"And you? What are you?"

He pins her with his yellow eyes and it's suddenly getting harder to breathe.

"I am what I want to be, hime," he whispers. "I might be a mongrel like Jiraiya, though a cultured one. I might be a friend or I might become something else..." he trails off and looks away as if he has revealed too much. Tsunade wants to ask but the rest of the team arrives and Sarutobi-sensei wants to review their progress so the moment is lost and that line of questioning is not picked up again.

* * *

She thinks about Orochimaru's words on the way home. She is a princess and Konoha is her kingdom. Drawing the parallels further, Sarutobi-sensei is a regent who guards the kingdom for the rightful successor. Not her, she doesn't want to become Hokage but if she is the princess, then her little brother is a prince and he will take over once the time is right. The fantasy looks nice and she allows herself to become lost in it.

The mongrel Jiraiya - another giggle escapes her at the thought - will fullfill the role of a court jester nicely. But what about Orochimaru?

_I am what I want to be, hime._

She shivers at the memory but the question is what does she want him to be? Her friend? Her protector? She's able to take care of herself just fine but the tradition dictates that a princess has a bodyguard. She imagines herself in an elaborate kimono with nine layers, her hair pinned up and face made up like a mebina doll, Orochimaru behind her, wearing samurai armor and helmet, an unsheathed sword held at the ready.

Tsunade shakes her head to dispel the image. It doesn't fit somehow. Even as young as she is, she instinctively knows Orochimaru wasn't born to follow anyone else. He will be the one to lead others, his nature demands it. But princesses do not follow either. A compromise must be reached.

She sees herself as a princess again but he no longer stands behind her. He's at her side, dressed up like her and they are equals. Partners.

"Companions."

The word escapes her and she blushes furiously and hopes no one overheard. She also blushes because she has just realized she is crushing hard on her teammate and when you are twelve and have known the said teammate for a half of your life, such a realization is rather awkward.

Still, they would look good together, she admits and allows herself to fantasize for a bit longer. She's a princess, after all and she's allowed to dream even in the shinobi world.


	2. Chapter 2

This one is is short. Next will be longer.

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**17**

The crush comes and goes as such things tend to do and before she knows it, she's talking to her little brother on his 12th birthday and gifting him with her necklace. Nawaki is strong, though not so strong as she was at his age. Then again, her team has been Konoha's pride for years and her brother is bright enough to know not to compete with her. He'll grow into his power, there's no need for him to hurry, she thinks fondly to herself. Let him be a chunin for now, less danger that way.

She finds out how mistaken she has been when the body is brought in. And she realizes with a startling finality that Orochimaru will never be her prince. He's too cold, too cruel, too detached, too much of a shinobi to fill that role. But he's still her friend, she acknowledges later on, clutching the necklace he has gotten for her from the body of her brother. She can't even imagine taking it back herself and looking at the corpse. The grave is bad enough and if she had to look into those lifeless eyes that have been full of dreams just a couple of days ago...

She's thankful there's no one else at the cemetery when she breaks down and cries. Tears are unbefitting of a princess, after all, especially since she is the last royal child. More than that, she will carry her brother's dream on her shoulders now. She cannot alow tears to weigh her down.


	3. Chapter 3

**21**

Sarutobi-sensei is clearly proud of them all as they are promoted to ANBU. About time, Tsunade thinks. Then again, being jounin for so long has its advantages. They are all confident in their abilities, especially Jiraiya, who has spent some time "training with the frogs" as he claims. She doesn't believe him all of it, he tends to exaggerate a lot, but she cannot deny his improvement either. Still, that doesn't mean she will accept his offer to date. There's a difference between being a good shinobi and being a boyfriend material, at least in her eyes.

Tsunade knows she is picky but she thinks she has a right to be. A man who is worthy of her has to be more than just her equal in battle. He has to be something special, has some kind of spark, some idea that she can relate to. In short, she wants a prince to her princess. She once thought it could be Orochimaru but he crushed that dream as easily as he crushes enemies.

"We are shinobi, hime. We live in shadows, kill in shadows and die in shadows. We are tools of war and when a tool is broken, we discard it. You don't cry when a tool is destroyed. You find a new one."

"That's a cruel way to think, isn't it?" she retorts stingily because arguing philosophy and morals with Orochimaru always leaves her unsettled.

"It's a shinobi way to think, Tsunade. The mission is absolute. We have been taught that, don't you remember?" he is so cool and confident in his opinions and Tsunade envies him a bit. She envies his ability to remain detached and focused on what needs to be done. She is like that most of the time but not when it comes to her friends. Ever since Nawaki's death, she has been pushing herself to become the best in her field, so she can save lives around her.

"I also remember being taught to cherish my comrades and protect them."

"Even if they are weak?"

"Especially if they are weak!" she fires back at him, incensed by the veiled contempt in his voice.

"So much passion, hime," he says and she isn't sure whether he's mocking her or not. "You better put that to use in your training, if you really insist on going around and saving lives."

She finishes her sake and watches him do the same. How their promotion celebration turned to this debate she doesn't know. Jiraiya is flirting by the bar otherwise he would back her up. Then again, if he was here, she wouldn't ask her next question.

"So you would leave us then?" at his puzzled expression, she clarifies, "If we were unable to finish the mission, Jiraiya and I, you would leave us behind?"

Orochimaru glances away for a moment and she waits for his answer, praying he would say that no, he would never leave them behind because they are a team and they stand and fall together.

"Yes," the word drops on her as a thousand pounds and she almost ceases to breathe. "But it's useless to think that way," he continues and suddenly looks her in the eye. "You aren't weak. I would never have to leave you behind. That's why we're on the same team. Because we can never be defeated. We're the best Konoha has to offer. If it wasn't true, than the last fifteen years would have been a waste."

And Tsunade finds herself smiling. Because he is right. They are the best and will remain so. The brightest team the Village Hidden in the Leaves has ever seen. They will never fall as long as they stand together. The slug, the snake and the toad. Together, forever, never broken.

Jiraiya arrives at the table and they clink their glasses together. They are young and tonight they drink to their future successes. And Tsunade thinks her sake has never tasted so good.

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Meh, sorry for the long pause. I'll get the next one out sooner. And the rating will finally kick in...


End file.
